Flourish

A flourish is a fancy move used in club juggling & swinging which gives the impression of a club spinning on the end of your arm. It can also be useful for correcting wrong end catches.

Take one club & hold it by the knob at the end of the handle so that it hangs in the air with the body of the club facing straight down. With your other hand curl up your little, ring & middle fingers into a fist then using your thumb & index finger grab the club by the waist, which is right in the middle around where the handle meets the body. Extend your middle finger slightly so that it supports the club from underneath. You should end up holding the club between your thumb, index & middle fingers a bit like you would hold a pen.

Stretch your arm out in front of you & point the body of the club forwards. Then:

Relax your middle finger so that the body of the club drops down.

Push the body back towards you with your index finger so that the club points towards you. At the same time twist your forearm so that your hand goes from palm down to palm up & the club finishes above your arm & pointing at your shoulder.

Bend your wrist backwards & push up with your middle finger so that the body of the club points straight up in the air.

Let go of the club with the thumb so that it is held between your index & middle fingers only & allow the body to fall forward down & back up to complete a whole circle.

Finish by catching the handle of the club at the end of the last circle with all of your fingers.

You end holding the club as normal apart form the fact that your index finger is on the top of the club as well as your thumb.

Practise going through all the steps on the list, start off slowly & work on making the motion as smooth as possible. With practise you can go through the steps faster & faster, then instead of pushing with your thumb & fingers the club will turn under its own momentum & all you have to do is move your fingers to make it spin in the right direction. While learning keep your arm as straight as possible to avoid flapping your elbow about.

To flourish a club in a running pattern you will need to catch it in the starting position using only your thumb, fore & middle fingers, make the next throw from the other hand a double then flourish away.